A quick search for terms like the best VPS hosting will reveal a suite of options from countless web hosts. However, these aren’t all equal, and the technical nature of VPS web hosting can make it confusing for newbies. Many of the best web hosting services do, however, offer VPS plans as part of their packages.
VPS (virtual private server) hosting involves the allocation of a specific amount of server resources, including storage, bandwidth, and RAM. These will be yours, and yours alone to use as you wish. Unlike with shared hosting, you won’t be competing with other sites hosted on the same physical server for these resources.
Because of this, it’s a great option for websites that have outgrown shared hosting, but which aren’t large enough to warrant expensive dedicated server hosting. There are also various types of VPS hosting. Unmanaged and managed options are often available, and you can sometimes choose between Windows and Linux operating systems.
In this guide, we cover the best VPS hosting options available. We’ve taken pricing, features, the level of management, and configurability, among other features, into account to help you choose the best option for your needs.
What are the best VPS hosting providers?
The best VPS hosting services available are Hostinger, Hostwinds, HostGator, InMotion Hosting, and A2 Hosting. Hostinger offers excellent budget solutions, with some of the lowest prices we’ve seen, while Hostwinds is another great option when it comes to performance, and offers a wide selection of Windows and Linux solutions.
HostGator stands out with consistent service across the board, full root access and unmetered bandwidth, excellent customer service, and generous resource allocations. InMotion Hosting is a little expensive, but ranks here because of its advanced VPS options, which include optional server management and great security tools.
Finally, A2 Hosting is known for its highly configurable unmanaged VPS plans, which are backed by a selection of developer tools including command line management.
| Web hosting provider | Entry price | Unmetered bandwidth? | Root access? | Linux and Windows options |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostinger | $3.95 a month | No | Yes | Linux only |
| Hostwinds | $4.99 a month | No | If required | Both available |
| HostGator | $19.95 a month | Yes | Yes | Linux only |
| InMotion Hosting | $19.99 a month | Yes | If required | Linux only |
| A2 Hosting | $4.99 a month | No | Yes | Linux only |
The best VPS hosting you can buy today
Hostinger is one of our favorite budget web hosts, and its VPS solutions don’t disappoint. Prices are extremely low, starting from just a few dollars a month for a long-term introductory plan. These will rise on renewal, though, and shorter subscriptions attract much higher monthly prices.
One thing that stands out about Hostinger is its no-frills service. Its hosting plans are backed by great security, a highly redundant server network, and excellent scalability. But you won’t be plagued with a host of extra—and often unnecessary—tools like you would be with some other providers.
The cheapest plans do have quite limited amounts of bandwidth, RAM, and storage. They are still more than good enough for basic websites, though, and it’s very easy to scale to a more powerful plan when required. The bottom line: Hostinger is a clear leader when it comes to budget VPS hosting.
Learn more about the web host in our comprehensive Hostinger review, and our interview with CMO Daugirdas Jankus.
Hostwinds is known for its high-performance hosting options. It offers a large selection of Windows managed and unmanaged, and Linux managed and unmanaged, VPS hosting plans. There’s everything from low-powered budget options to high-powered plans for large, resource-intensive websites.
In addition, all Hostwinds VPS plans are backed by a leading 99.9999% uptime guarantee. Connections are made through fast 1Gbps ports, and performance is generally great across the board. Tools such as automatic nightly backups, proactive server monitoring, free website transfers, and an enterprise-level firewall are also available.
Hostwinds has no money-back guarantee with its VPS plans, though. Its terms of service state that you can request a refund within 72 hours of any payment, but this is very short when compared to the minimum 30-day guarantee made by most hosts. Despite this, it’s still a great option for those looking for highly customizable, scalable VPS hosting solutions.
Find out more in our detailed Hostwinds review.
HostGator is known for its competitively priced, beginner-friendly shared hosting solutions, but its VPS options are excellent as well. They are tidy, there aren’t too many complicated tools to deal with, and you’ll have the freedom to do what you want with your hosting.
There are three plans available, all with excellent introductory discounts and generous resource allocations—including unmetered bandwidth across the board. Even the cheapest plan comes with 2GB of RAM and 120GB of SSD storage, which will be more than enough for most websites.
You will also have full root access, which means that you have the freedom to configure your servers exactly the way you want. On the downside, there’s no option to use a Windows operating system. All plans come with Linux CentOS 7 installed, and there’s the option of adding a cPanel control panel for an extra $10 a month.
Another positive is HostGator’s customer service, which is top notch. The support team is friendly and knowledgeable, and there’s an excellent knowledge base full of useful self-help resources.
The main downside is the price structure. The introductory prices are very reasonable, but increase significantly on renewal. For example, at the time of writing, the cheapest Snappy 2000 VPS plan costs between $19.95 and $29.95 a month (depending on your subscription length), increasing to a much higher $79.95 on renewal.
Find out more about HostGator’s web hosting in our full HostGator review.
InMotion Hosting is an excellent all-around web hosting provider that offers leading VPS hosting solutions. All plans come with free website migrations, free cPanel accounts, a 99.9999% server uptime guarantee, and unlimited bandwidth.
In addition, you will benefit from a free SSL certificate for added security, a built-in server monitoring dashboard, and DDoS attack protection. Server snapshots are taken at predefined intervals, and you can roll back to a previous version with the click of a button.
On the downside, InMotion only offers Linux VPS hosting. This effectively eliminates it as an option for those looking for a Windows server. Data center locations are also limited, as they are all located in the United States. This isn’t a major problem, but it could result in slight performance issues if your main audience is elsewhere in the world.
Overall, InMotion Hosting is a great choice for businesses looking for a powerful, high-performance option, and its leading 90-day money-back guarantee enables you to test it with zero risk. Read our detailed InMotion Hosting review to find out more.
A2 Hosting offers both managed and unmanaged Linux VPS options. Its unmanaged solutions are what stand out, largely due to the huge range of developer features and advanced tools they come with. You will have full root access and command-line management capabilities, so you can configure your server exactly as required.
In addition, all servers are connected to a 10Gbps redundant network, which provides excellent speed and performance. You will be able to install and configure software as required, and there’s a selection of global data center locations to choose from.
There are no Windows VPS options, and server resources are a little limited, but you will love A2 Hosting’s unmanaged VPS plans if you value the ability to configure your server exactly as you want to.
How to choose the best VPS hosting for you
VPS hosting can be quite technical, so you need to think carefully to ensure you choose the right option. Start by identifying the operating system you want to work with (Linux or Windows). Most providers offer Linux VPS, although Windows is a little more uncommon. Hostwinds is one notable option if you would like to use Windows.
The amount of resources such as storage, RAM, and bandwidth that you require is also important. For example, HostGator is known for its generous resource allocations, while Hostinger is much cheaper, but offers significantly less storage and bandwidth.
Managed, semi-managed, and unmanaged options are all available. Managed VPS hosting tends to be less flexible and more expensive, but you won’t need nearly as much technical knowledge. Platforms like Hostwinds offer excellent managed options, InMotion Hosting is known for its semi-managed VPS, and A2 Hosting’s unmanaged options are powerful and flexible.
It’s also important to set a clear budget and stick with it, and platforms such as Hostinger are great for those looking for an affordable choice. Create a shortlist of viable options—we’d recommend starting with the providers listed in this guide—and perform further research to identify the most suitable selection.
Remember above all that everyone’s needs are different, so there’s no such thing as one single best VPS hosting provider.
Further reading on web hosting
Make sure to read our other buying guides for different web hosting types, including the best WordPress hosting, the best cloud hosting, the best European web hosting, the best cheap web hosting, and the best free web hosting.